McCarthy distances himself from Trump by condemning Putin’s actions -- here’s why its already too late

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) has a habit of echoing former President Donald Trump's baseless claims and conspiracy theories but he's opted to break from Trump on one of the most critical topics being discussed right now: Russian President Vladamir Putin.

According to The Washington Post, McCarthy's recent discussion with reporters included a rare moment in which he refrained from echoing the words of the former president. Speaking to reporters during his latest news conference, the high-ranking Republican lawmaker admitted he disagrees with Trump's remarks describing Putin as "savvy" and a "genius."

“I do not think anything’s savvy or genius about Putin,” McCarthy told reporters. “I think Putin is evil. He’s a dictator. And I think he’s murdering people right now.”

McCarthy's remarks come less than a month after Trump's interview on a right-wing radio broadcast where he praised Putin's leadership on the invasion of Ukraine.

“I went in yesterday and there was a television screen, and I said, ‘This is genius.’ Putin declares a big portion of the Ukraine — of Ukraine — Putin declares it as independent,” Trump said.

He later added: “Here’s a guy that says, you know, ‘I’m gonna declare a big portion of Ukraine independent’ — he used the word ‘independent’ — ‘and we’re gonna go out and we’re gonna go in and we’re gonna help keep peace.’ You gotta say that’s pretty savvy.”

Although McCarthy is choosing to publicly disagree with Trump now, the damage is already done. For months now, many Republican lawmakers have echoed Trump's praise and admiration of Putin. Now, Republicans are backpedaling. It's highly likely that this situation will get far worse before it improves but Republicans did not consider that possibility while championing Putin's actions.